Telling Secrets
by BleedingxxHeart
Summary: Bella is heartbroken when her boyfriend leaves her. What happens when she goes to La Push and makes friends with Jacob Black and gets sucked into the secrets surrounding him and his friends?
1. New year, new Bella

**AN**- Okay, so this is going to be an all human story. Wait! Don't write it off just yet. This fic includes the whole pack and Jacob. Bella will get sucked into their world of secrets and have to help to get them out of their mess. Still not convinced? Humor me and read this one chapter!

BPOV

Summer break was over and it was the first day of my junior year. That meant it was a time to start over fresh and look forward to a new year. I could get over Edward, maybe meet someone new and try to behave like a normal human again. I could do this, right?

I wanted to slam my car into reverse and burn rubber on my way back home so I could hole up in my room like I had done for the past two and a half months. But that was what Old Bella would do and I was determined to be New Bella.

New Bella would not duck her head in shame; she would walk into that school with her chin held high. New Bella wouldn't avert her eyes and avoid conversation; she would meet her fellow students' stares and talk to them without hesitation.

New Bella would get out of her truck…now! Okay, maybe not. How about…now! Wait, wait, one more time…now!

With a cleansing breath I finally slid out of my rusty pick-up and hiked my bag over my shoulder. I headed through the parking lot and to my surprise it was sunny and warm outside. It was like the sky was taking pity on me, trying to make my day just a little more bearable.

At least the school looked the same. I wasn't sure I could take many more changes and it was a comfort that boring Forks High was still blissfully uneventful and gray. I saw my old crowd lingering around Tyler Crowley's van. They shot me surreptitious looks and broke into fits of whispers when they spotted me.

Gathering my courage I pasted on a megawatt smile and waved enthusiastically. They all stood shocked, staring at me blankly. No one waved back. The smile slid off my face and I began to panic, feeling like a freak. I lowered my hand and tried to walk by them as quickly as possible.

Bad idea.

I lost my footing immediately, the toe of my sneaker getting caught on the pavement and I pitched forward. I reached my hands out to catch myself and I felt the sharp pain as my knees and hands hit the rough, hard surface. I smelt blood but I refused to embarrass myself further by fainting or getting ill because of it.

"Bella, whoa! Are you okay?" The voice was pleasantly familiar. Mike Newton. He eagerly slipped a hand around my waist and pulled me off the ground. He kept his hand firmly planted even once I was standing.

"Hah yeah Mike, thanks. You know me, always a klutz." I gave him a warm smile, genuinely thankful that he wasn't giving me the cold shoulder. He returned it immediately.

"Some things never change. "He replied, hope sparkling in his eyes. _Yeah_, I inwardly groaned, _some things never changed_.

I felt another hand grab my arm and pull me, none to gently, out of Mike's grasp. It was Tyler and he yanked me into an impromptu hug that took me completely off guard. I returned it, hoping I wasn't giving him the wrong idea.

"Bella! Where have you been all summer beautiful? We missed you!" Tyler said in my ear. I pulled out of his embrace to look at the rest of the group for confirmation of this statement. They were all smiling at me and I noticed something was different.

"Where's Lauren?" I asked, glad I didn't sound bothered or upset, just curious. Jessica and Angela glanced at each other awkwardly then looked back at me, obviously trying not to upset me.

"It's okay guys, really. I'm fine." That was all the encouragement Jess needed.

"Okay well we were totally not okay with what she did to you. I mean, I know she didn't like you but come on, that was just awful. You're our friend! So we told the bitch to find new friends." I was stunned. They told freaking Lauren Malloy to find new friends? The guys looked a little pained by this fact but they gave me rueful smiles.

"Well, er, thanks? You guys didn't have to do that. I don't want to come between anyone."

"Don't be ridiculous, Bella." It was Angela this time. She had always been my favorite. In the end, I just nodded and thanked them again. I really didn't want to talk about Lauren anymore. It hurt too much.

Edward and I had been dating since the beginning of sophomore year, when I had first moved to this God-Forsaken little town and it had been perfect. He was so sweet to me and made me feel like I wasn't alone in this crazy new place. He was so gorgeous too, with his auburn hair, golden eyes and beautiful face. I had been a goner from the first time he had bothered to talk to me.

My life had been a fairytale all year. Edward would randomly bring me flowers or send me love letters. He even wrote a lullaby for me on the piano and played it on my birthday. It had been all romance with him and I had basked in how much we loved each other. I had dreams of getting married and having kids with him one day. I honestly believed we would be together forever.

Then summer came and my dreams were smashed into little unrecognizable pieces. It had only been a few weeks into June when it had happened. I was wandering through the woods, which I loved to do when the weather was nice, and I got bored. So I had decided to make the hike to the meadow. Mine and Edward's meadow. It was our special place where he had taken me on our first date and then given me my first kiss. Whenever we wanted to get away from the rest of the world, our meadow was our retreat.

So when I got there, exhausted and mildly cut up from the shallow scrapes I inevitably received, I saw something that changed my world. Edward was there, what a nice surprise…_not_. He had spread out a blanket like the two of us usually did only it was a different girl he was holding and they were doing a lot more than what Edward and I had ever ventured to try.

Lauren Malloy was as perfect out of her clothes as she was in them.

After that it was a blur. I had screamed Edward's name in horror and both of them had stopped and looked at me. Edward's face was a mix of shame, guilt and fear. Lauren just smiled evilly. Then I was running aimlessly through the forest, tripping and falling and crying. I don't know how long I wandered around lost but eventually it got dark. Then I had fallen one final time and hadn't bothered to get up.

I firmly shook the horrible memories away, fighting not to let the grief overtake me. I tried to pay attention to what Jessica was blathering on about but I had never been able to listen to her gossip so I figured it was okay to tune her out. When Tyler threw an arm over my shoulder I didn't shake it off the way I normally would have. Mike gave him an annoyed glare that actually made me smile a little. Hey, maybe I really could do this whole fresh start thing!

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_I can't do this! I can't do this! I can't do this! _I sat in chemistry, rigid in my seat, trying not to dissolve into tears. Edward sat as still as I was, not a foot away. I could not believe I was stuck sitting next to him! I ducked my head, letting my hair fall between us as a silky curtain.

It was the first time I had seen him since that fateful day in the meadow. His hair was the same messy auburn and his eyes were still entrancing. He had stared at me with a look of regret and longing when I first walked in that I tried to not let weaken me. But it had. I wanted to wrap my arms around his waist and beg him to take me back.

But I was New Bella and I would not grovel. I would be strong and independent. Awe, who am I kidding? I'm still bleeding inside.

The clock moved agonizingly slow and I didn't hear a single word Mr. Tanner said. I simply focused on avoiding eye contact with my table partner and holding the sobs in. When finally the bell rang, I let out a relieved breath and stood up. I felt a cool hand on my arm. I stopped and waited, without turning around and facing him. If I looked him in the eye, I knew I'd crumble.

"Bella…" He whispered, his voice low and musical. His hand was gently caressing my skin and I was about to relax into his touch when Mike Newton, bless him, coughed loudly.

"Babe, it's time for lunch." Babe? That was new and I definitely did not appreciate his use of nicknames. But it made Edward drop his hand and it knocked me out of my trance. Mike even had the gall to take my hand as we left the classroom and Edward shot him a filthy look, clearly angry.

_At least we still have our clothes on_, I wanted to say but I was too mature for that. Or maybe I just didn't have the guts to but whatever. I let Mike drag me to the cafeteria meeting the curious stares and giving them a look that just dared them to comment. Bella was back, and she was in the game.

Lunch was fairly normal. Everyone talked about their summers which seemed to have been about as exciting as the meatloaf that was being served but I smiled and asked questions anyways. Nobody asked me about my summer and I appreciated their tact.

For the most part I had read books and cooked dinner for Charlie over the summer. I wandered through the woods sometimes too, always careful to avoid the meadow. The only people I saw were my dad and whoever was at the grocery store. Oh, and sometimes the Blacks would stop by to watch the game and have dinner. Jacob and I had been friends when I had first moved to Forks and we had gotten really close for a couple months but then Edward and I had gotten serious so Jake and I had drifted apart.

He was so sweet. Always trying to coax a smile out of me over the summer when I hadn't had many smiles left in me. He even made me laugh, telling me stories about his friends in La Push. I felt bad now, knowing what a pain I must have been when he was forced to hang out with me. Billy and Charlie had probably begged him to spend time with the strange girl who never left the house. Eventually he had just stopped showing up, clearly tired of putting up with me.

Ugh, that was an embarrassing thought. I decided I would go see him. I'd act like New Bella and show him I was actually cool and fun. If anything, maybe he wouldn't avoid coming to Forks with Billy. Maybe we could even pick up the pieces of our friendship?

With that thought in mind, the rest of the day passed by quickly and I had managed to avoid both Edward and Lauren. I was in such a good mood that I even agreed to go out with everyone on Friday to some party. I had never actually been to a party so it should be interesting. Tyler walked me to my truck, chatting easily about school and which teachers he hated. I laughed and added some uncharacteristically mean comments about Mr. Tanner who I now hated with the passion.

"Put you right next to Cullen, I heard?" He asked with a sympathetic grimace. I tried not to wince and I gave him a tight smile.

"Yep, he has no soul." I joked and Tyler bust out laughing.

"If you say so, Swan. And by the way, it's good to have you back." His words were sincere and I felt touched that he was being so kind.

"It's good to be back," I said and I wasn't really lying.

Tyler gave me a hug before I got in the car and I worried about all the affection but I liked Tyler, he was nice. I drove home quickly, and the dread was coming back. I had been busy all day and surrounded by people so I hadn't had time to hurt. But now that I was alone again, the pain was threatening to overtake me. I pulled into my driveway and cringed when I saw that Charlie's cruiser was gone.

No, I couldn't be alone right now. Not so soon after I had seen Edward again, felt his gentle touch, heard his melodic voice whisper my name. I shuddered and backed out of my driveway, speeding towards La Push. The Reservation school hadn't even started the semester yet, had they? So Jacob should be home and I wouldn't have to be alone.

I pushed my car as fast as it would go, which was only about fifty-five, but it was fast for me. I remembered how to get there from the time I had spent with Jake before we had drifted apart. I was going to show him fun, normal Bella. Well, maybe not normal but as close to it as I was ever able to manage.

But something stopped me before I hit the highway. It was a sign. Not like a sign from God or fate, just a normal, old, cardboard one. But it made me slow down and pull an illegal U-turn to go back to re-read it.

BIKES FOR SALE

Inspiration struck and I was pulling into the driveway, hoping nobody saw me because if Charlie found out then he would have a fit. The sign was propped up against two rusted pieces of metal that were unmistakably motorcycles. Jacob was a mechanic, right? I vaguely remembered him mentioning to me that he was building his own car. If I brought him these bikes to fix up so we could ride them it would definitely show him I could be fun. Or he'd think I was psycho but I'd take my chances.

Also, the weaker side of me was craving a distraction from the internal pain. I could forget all of that when I had adrenaline pumping through me. This was a great plan, I decided as I hurried to the front door and knocked. It wasn't long before a boy opened the door that I recognized from being a year younger than me at school. I couldn't quite remember his name. He had no problem identifying me.

"Bella Swan?" He asked, shocked to see me. I gave him a forced smile.

"Uh yeah. Hi! How much for the bikes?" I asked, nervously wringing my hands. The boy wrinkled his nose at me.

"You really want them? They don't work you know." He said, a little panicked. Did he think I was going to yell at him or something?

"That's okay. I have a friend who's a mechanic." He looked relieved.

"Oh, good. Well, you can just take them. My mom has been bugging my dad to take them to the dump anyways. I'll help you load them up."

The two of us, mostly him though, got the cars into the bed of my truck. They were impossible to hide though and I cringed, thinking about the way Charlie would freak if he were told I was messing around with motorcycles. I quickly thanked the boy, who beamed, and got back in my truck. I was on the highway in minutes and feeling excited over seeing Jacob.

The red house came in view after a ten-minute drive and I jumped out of the car as Jacob glanced curiously out of his garage. His face lit up when he saw me.

"Bella!" He yelled happily, scooping me into a hug when I got close enough. I found my lips stretching into a genuine smile without having to put any effort behind it. I laughed and hugged him back as he twirled us in a circle around the yard.

"Jacob! When did you get so tall?" I asked when he put me down and I had to tilt my head all the way back to see his face. Not only was he tall but he was huge too, with muscles bulging everywhere. Wow, when did Jacob become a total hunk? He laughed proudly and ruffled my hair.

"I'm a growing boy, Bella. Maybe if we hung out more the changes wouldn't seem so significant." He smiled when he said it but I still felt guilty. It was my fault that we had stopped spending time together and I wanted to make up for it.

"Well, I'm here now! And good luck getting rid of me." He smiled genuinely back at me for a minute but then his expression clouded as something occurred to him and he scowled.

"Wouldn't dream of it." He said and it sounded fake. My smile faltered. Maybe he was remembering what a pain in the butt I had been over the summer and dreading my presence.

"Okay, clearly you think I'm still emo-freak Bella." Jacob looked at me surprised and his smile came back as he shook his head and opened his mouth to respond but I cut him off with a finger to his lips. "But, never you fear, I'm here to prove you wrong."

"I never thought you were a freak." Jacob argued, fighting laughter. "But I'm curious as to how you plan on proving your normalness."

"Well follow me," I told him with a mischievous smile that made his eyes darken. I took his hand and pulled him to the far side of my truck. With a grand gesture of my arms, I yelled, "Ta-da!"

Jake stared at the bikes for a long moment then back at me. He looked torn between amusement and confusion.

"I don't get it." He finally admitted, moving towards my truck and peering closer at the bikes. I rolled my eyes at him.

"They're motorcycles. I brought them here so you and I could, you know, fix them up, get them running and you can teach me how to ride one." I replied shyly, just then realizing that I was asking Jacob to put in hours of labor just because I asked him to. Yeah, great thinking Bella. Jacob started cracking up.

"You're trying to convince me you're normal by suggesting we build death traps and then hop on them without any proper lessons." He was smiling at least but he looked incredulous. I felt like an idiot.

"Right, that was stupid of me to ask. I guess I'll never be able to manage 'normal' no matter how hard I try." I grimaced. Jake just ruffled my hair again.

"Maybe not normal. But a whole lot of fun."

"Wait, so you'll do it?" I asked, excited. I looked up to see his expression conflicted. I waited, wondering if he was just trying to be nice and I was being pushy. But he had seemed happy to see me so maybe it was something else.

"I want to Bella, it's just…" He trailed off, looking away from me. He was struggling to find words and I hoped he wasn't trying to think of an excuse. "It's just that it might not be good for you to spend a lot of time down here, to spend a lot of time with me."

"What are you talking about, Jake? Why wouldn't it be good for me to spend time with you? You're the nicest person I've met since I moved here." His eyes finally met mine again and they were so sad that I ached to hug him.

"I'm not so nice anymore, Bells." We stared at each other for a long time. To say I was confused was putting it mildly. He was clearly trying to tell me that he couldn't build the bikes with me and I should just accept that and leave him alone like he wanted. But something was stopping me.

See, I didn't believe Jacob really wanted to tell me no. Deep down, I thought that he was dying to give in and go along with my crazy scheme, so why wasn't he? Because he thought it wasn't good for me? There was something seriously up with him. I was instantly concerned but I knew better than to out and out ask. Better to approach it carefully and give him time to open up to me himself.

I punched him in the arm, harder than necessary. He jumped back and gripped the sore spot, giving me a confused glare.

"Ouch! What was that for?"

"Maybe, I'm not so nice anymore either." I wiggled my eyebrows at him suggestively, trying not to blush. His jaw popped open and he stared at me blankly. Then his eyes turned black and intense, raking down my body and back up before giving me a playful smile.

"Yeah?" He asked and his voice was huskier than it had been moments before. Butterflies assaulted my stomach.

"Yeah," I whispered back. "So we'll make a great team." He was silent again and I could tell he was mulling it over, arguing with himself. I hoped his reckless side won. I smiled, thinking of the cartoons with the angel on one shoulder and the devil on the other. I was rooting for the little red guy with the pitchfork.

"Fine," Jacob finally resolved, staring at me with a smile lingering at the corners of his mouth.

"Yes!" I jumped up and pumped my fist in the air, making us both laugh.

"On one condition!" Jacob said, getting brooding and mysterious again. "You have to be careful when you're in La Push, okay? You know, the whole don't talk to strangers stuff, right?" I rolled my eyes at him again.

"Okay, Charlie." I huffed; annoyed that he was treating me like a child. "When can we start the bikes?"

"Now, if you want?"

"That'd be great! But Charlie cannot know about this, okay?"

"Sure, sure. It'll be our secret." Jacob smiled, a real smile, filled with the childish mischief that I liked so much better than the adult seriousness.

We chatted easily while Jacob got the bikes out of the truck and hauled them to the garage. I gaped at how strong he was but didn't want to boost his inflated ego by commenting. I couldn't help but notice that all of his stories were told from a long time ago, I think he even repeated a few that he had told me over the summer. That was odd, Jacob had always been full of crazy tales of him and his friends' trouble-making. What were his friends' that he told me about…?

"How are Quil and Embry?" I asked remembering the odd names. Jake immediately tensed and looked at me suspiciously before finally relaxing.

"They're good, you know. Hey how was you're first day of school?" He asked, smoothly changing the subject. I played along.

"Ugh, don't remind me." I joked but he didn't laugh. "I'm kidding, Jake. Seriously though, it wasn't that bad."

"Tell me about it." He said as he stood one bike up, the red one, and started pulling it apart. I was impressed and I sat down on a workbench to watch.

"Well, I had sort of shunned my friends over the summer and so when I got to school I was all freaked out, thinking they hated me. It took my a billion tries just to get out my truck. Then I saw them and smiled and waved. Nobody waved back."

"Some friends. They don't deserve you anyways." Jake was scowling, seriously bothered. I hurried on.

"No, no, they actually are. They were just surprised I guess. But when that happened I got all freaked out and tried to hurry which, as you know, doesn't work well for me."

"You fell," Jacob surmised, sounding amused.

"Oh yeah, over nothing but my own feet. Anyways then I was panicking because I could smell blood and it makes me queasy…" Jake's head shot up and I stopped.

"How hard did you fall?" He asked searching my body as if he would discover some life-threatening wound. I waved off his concern.

"No worse than usual. Anyways, then Mike helped me up and Tyler hugged me and everyone was really nice. They even told Lauren she needed to find new friends."

"Who's Lauren?" Jacob asked curiously as he unscrewed something.

"Oh, uh, nobody." I replied cryptically earning a suspicious glance. "So then after that was all finished I went about my day. It was actually pretty normal, completely boring!"

"You seem happy about that." He commented in surprise as he concentrated on the bike.

"Of course I am. If you can't count on school to be completely drama-free than what can you count on?"

"Well-said, oh wise one." If I had something to throw at him I would have. "Really though, nothing exciting happened on your first day back?"

"Um, well, there was chemistry class." I said standing up to pace around his garage and trying to keep my voice light and carefree. Jacob didn't buy it.

"What happened in chemistry?" He asked carefully. I noticed the sound of metal on metal had stopped and I realized he had his full attention on me. I kept my back turned on him.

"My teacher is heartless. In fact, I think he might be Satan reincarnated. Or he has a secret vendetta against me. Either way, he's evil." That earned a small laugh and I even felt myself smile. It felt good to be able to joke about it.

"Why would anyone possibly have a vendetta against you? And why do you think he's evil?" Jacob asked, keeping up the joking tone but I noticed he hadn't turned any attention back to the bike. I finally turned to face him.

"Why _wouldn't_ someone have a vendetta against me? I'm mean now, just like bad-boy mysterious Jake, remember?" He grimaced slightly at the way I mocked him but I could tell he wanted to laugh with me. "As for why he's evil…he assigned me and Edward Cullen to be lab partners." I tried to laugh it off. Jacob didn't laugh with me.

"Tell him to _re_-assigned you." He retorted angrily. I took a step back, wondering why he was so mad.

"Uh, he's the teacher, Jake. I can't just tell him what to do."

"Then ask politely, Bella. You shouldn't have to put up with that."

"It's not a huge deal. I'll survive, I guess." I was trying to find that joking tone we had been using before but it came out shaky. Jacob nodded, unconvinced.

"Did Cullen say anything to you? Did he touch you?" Gah, I wished I'd never brought it up! Thinking about him hurt too much. Now Jake was all mad and I'd just wanted to have a nice afternoon with a friend!

"Not really." I scrunched my nose up, remembering the way he'd whispered my name.

"Not really? What's that supposed to mean?" He roared, glaring at me.

"Well he just sort of grabbed my arm before I left and whispered my name all wistfully. It was all very melodramatic."

"The fucking nerve! What makes him think he can just-"

"Jake, please stop. I promise I'm okay. I just want to have fun with my friend and not worry about my prick ex-boyfriend." That earned me a real smile and a hair ruffle. If anyone besides Jacob did that to me I would probably feel annoyed but with him it was a gesture of affection. Like the way he calls me Bells.

"You're right, sorry. This is a prick-free zone."

"You know what? This should be a problem-free zone. How about whenever we're in here we're not allowed to talk about anything bad or even think about it. When we're here we should forget our problems and just _be_. Our own little retreat from the real world." Jacob stared at me for a long time with a nameless emotion in his eyes that made me feel nervous and giddy at the same time.

"I'd like that." He finally said quietly.

After that time seemed to float by in a lazy stream. We talked about nothing and everything but always kept the topics light. We kept up a constant teasing and we laughed a lot. True to my word, I made sure all thoughts of Edward stayed outside of the garage and was surprised that it wasn't all that difficult. Jacob also seemed to have taken our deal seriously as well because all of his earlier gloom melted away under his sunny smile.

"I'm starving!" Jacob finally announced after completely dissembling the first motorbike. "Want anything to eat?"

I told him I was okay and he set off for his kitchen to forage for snacks. I wandered out of the garage so I could look around. La Push was beautiful, with the endless forests and beaches. I was so jealous that Jacob got to live here permanently. I thought longingly of the ocean and made a mental note to make Jacob take me to the beach before the weather got too cold.

"Yo, Jake?" A voice called from the side of the house. I turned, curious, as a tall, russet skinned boy appeared. His height could rival Jacob's and he was muscled up the same way. They could have been brothers. "You out here?"

My mouth dropped open. I was used to Jacob's looks by now so they weren't intimidating but this boy…

He was good looking. Not as drop-dead gorgeous as Jake but pretty close. When he spotted me, a heart-stopping grin appeared on his face and he sauntered up to me, stopping so close that I had to take a step back.

"Hi there," He said holding out his hand and his eyes quickly scanned over me, making my nervousness that much worse. "I'm Quil **Atera**."

"Uh, Bella." I answered grabbing his hand and grinning back. I had heard storied about this boy and I knew I already liked him. "Bella Swan." He didn't release my hand or step away; he just stood there smiling down at me.

"Ah, of course. I've heard a lot about you."

"Really?" I asked, wondering if Jacob actually talked about me or if Quil was just being polite. "I've actually heard a lot about you too."

"Uh-oh. Don't believe any of the stories, I'm innocent!" He joked, only half kidding. I laughed, not really noticing that his hand had slid up to rest on my shoulder.

"That's what they all say." I told him, narrowing my eyes in mock-suspicion, enjoying the banter.

"Fine, I'm guilty! But you'll never catch me alive." We both laughed at the stupidity of out conversation. The heat of his hand on my shoulder was nice but I remembered how Jacob had described Quil; a total ladies' man.

"I think I'm going to like you, Bella Swan." He tossed an arm around my shoulder and headed towards the house to find Jake, dragging me with him. He turned and raised an eyebrow at me. "Well?"

"Well what?" I asked, trying to keep pace with his long strides. I wondered if all La Push boys were this affectionate or if it was just the ones I had met.

"That's usually when you say, 'I think I'm going to like you too.'"

"Oh, well, I'm still deciding. Ask me tomorrow." I smiled at him and he opened his mouth to reply but the back door opened right before we could reach for the knob. Jacob stepped back in surprise at the sight of us. His eyes took in the scene before him then he shot an annoyed look at Quil.

"Hey buddy!" Quil greeted happily, ignoring Jacob's attitude.

"What're you doing here Quil?" My eyebrows shot up at his abrupt manner.

"Have some stuff I need to discuss with you and then I saw a pretty girl just wandering around your yard and, well, you know how I am when it comes to pretty girls…" I was blushing bright red and both boys noticed. Quil just laughed and squeezed me a little tighter. Jacob scowled.

"Right, can it wait?"

"Pretty girls should never be kept waiting." Jacob heaved an annoyed sigh.

"I meant about the stuff we need to discuss." Quil was grinning like an idiot, clearly enjoying the one-sided joking.

"Right, right _that_. Not really, dude."

"Well, I'm kind of busy right now…" Jacob gestured at me and I felt guilty at being an inconvenience.

"No, it's fine." I hurried to inject. "I should get going anyways, gotta make dinner for Charlie."

"You sure?" He asked and I was happy to note that he didn't look like he wanted me to leave. I nodded. "Well, when do you think you'll make it down again?"

"Tomorrow after school…if that's okay?" His face lit up immediately.

"That'd be great!" He exclaimed and Quil raised an eyebrow at him that Jacob studiously ignored. I shrugged out from under Quil's arm which was starting to get heavy.

"It was nice to meet you, Quil." I said as I backed away from the pair of them, towards my truck.

"You too, Bella. See you tomorrow!" I smiled and nodded, Jacob shot him a glare but that was the last I saw. I got in my truck and headed back to Forks feeling happier than I had in months.

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Review? Did you like it? Hate it? Was the chapter too short? Too long?

Let me know. ;)


	2. Throwing punches and tossing rocks

**AN- **

First- It never takes me this long to update stories. They're usually updated once a week and at the very least every other week. So I'm sorry about that, things at home have been crazy.

Second- If you're reading this then you've decided to give the story a chance. Thanks, I'll try not to let you down.

Third- Q&A. If they're not werewolves why are the Quiluetes so big and muscular? Because we all love them that way ;)

**Disclaimer: The only thing I own is my discontent about the way the books ended up and my laptop.**

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_Deep breaths_, I told myself as I walked into chemistry the next day for my last class. I was simply going to ignore him. It wouldn't be that hard, I'd just force myself to remember him with Lauren that fateful day in the meadow. It would definitely hurt but at least it would stop me from crumbling under his golden gaze.

I felt his eyes on me as I took my seat once again letting my hair fall between us as a curtain. I felt him shift closer towards me and my heart bumped erratically in my chest. _Where the hell was Mr. Tanner_? I wanted class to start so I could focus on something other than the breath-taking boy next to me. Then I could get in my truck and head towards the garage where I was only allowed to be carefree.

"Bella?" My name was a soft whisper, close to my ear. I shivered unintentionally, squeezing my eyes shut. _Lauren with her shirt off and her hands on his chest. _"Bella, look at me."

"I don't want to." My words were so weak that even I didn't believe them. _Edward with his hands tangled in Lauren's hair_.

"Liar," he accused leaning in closer and laying one hand over mine on the table. I sucked in a breath and tried to tell myself to move away. I didn't. _Lauren's giggle as Edward kissed down her neck. _"Bella please look at me."

Against my will my eyes opened and I turned my head to meet his gaze. He was closer than I had expected, our noses almost touching. He smiled at me slightly and it looked sad. _Edward's hands moving up her waist to her chest_. "What do you want?"

"You," he stated simply and I felt a sharp pain in my chest. My eyes were threatening to get damp and I played through the rest of the meadow scene in my head trying to harden my heart. It didn't do much good.

"Really?" I managed to mock him. "It sure hadn't looked that way to me." My show of bravado was ruined by the way my voice cracked on the last word. I tried to pull my hand away but his grip tightened, preventing escape.

"I know and I can't tell you how sorry I am. I messed up, _badly_. It's just I'm a teenage guy, you know? I'm not trying to make excuses for my behavior but I had been getting so frustrated and Lauren was just a way to relieve the tension-"

"You're telling me you cheated on me because I wouldn't sleep with you?" I exploded in a whisper. I was angry but it was a poor cover for the pain and inadequacy I was feeling.

"Not exactly, no." His hand was running up and down my arm trying to sooth me. It wasn't working. "I'm trying to tell you that I hadn't planned on cheating on you. Lauren took advantage of my…frustrated…state and used it to get what she wanted."

"She seduced you?" I surmised, raising my eyebrows skeptically. I didn't really believe it but I could let myself if I wanted to. I could convince myself that he was telling me the truth and we could go back to the way we had been. All I had to do was say I believed him and let him convince me that he still loves me.

I wanted to. I really, really wanted to.

"I find that hard to believe." I choked the words out, my heart fighting with my pride. I saw Edwards face fall and almost called the words back.

"Please, Bella. Just give me one more chance? I didn't know what I had until I lost it." He moved his face closer to mine, out lips so close to touching, our breaths mingling. "I love you."

I was up and out of my seat before I had a chance to lean forward and close that distance. Edward jumped back in surprise. Tears were streaming freely down my face, blurring my vision as I bumped into Mr. Tanner on the way out the door. I didn't stop; I just pushed by him and went out the door.

"Ms. Swan? Are you alright?" Mr. Tanner's voice called after me. I gave him no answer and I was in the bathroom moments later. I cried until I felt human again. I washed my face with cold water as my breathing slowed to a normal pace.

_I needed fresh air. _Besides, I justified school was almost over anyways. So with that, I made my way through the deserted hallways and out into the parking lot in search of my truck. The weather had once again turned dark and brooding. Water poured out of the sky with a vengeance. For once, I didn't really mind.

I let the school door fall shut behind me, pulled my hood up and turned to make a run for it but I collided with another person.

"Ouch! Watch where you're going!" The person complained shoving me backwards.

"Sorry," I mumbled, trying to catch my balance. _Wait, I know that voice. _

Lauren Malloy stood glaring at me, her pretty green eyes narrowed in disdain. Her clothing clung to her perfect body and a still smoldering cigarette lay forgotten at her feet. Apparently she had ducked outside for a smoke and I'd interrupted her with my clumsy escape. I gaped at her uselessly, not knowing what to do or say.

"Bella Swan," She mocked with a sneer as she gave me an unimpressed once-over. I shifted uncomfortably. Seeing her so soon after my confrontation with Edward was making my chest start to ache unbearably. I wanted to be alone when I shattered into tears. "Haven't seen you in a while. Where yah been?"

I didn't respond.

"Oh, that's right. I forgot you barricaded yourself in your room for months on end." My cheeks flushed red and a few tears pricked my eyes. I took a step back but one manicured hand shot out and squeezed my arm painfully so I couldn't retreat. "It's okay. I would have done the same thing if I found out I wasn't good enough in bed to satisfy my own boyfriend. Not that it ever_ would_ happen to me. Just ask Edward."

A few tears found their way out of my eyes and when Lauren saw them she smiled with malicious satisfaction. That was the last straw.

"Shut up, Lauren! You're nothing to any of the guys you hook up with, except a convenient body with no mind attached to it. Ever wonder why you never rate a replay, never mind a complete relationship? It's because you're not worth it. Just like you're not worth my time."

With that, I ripped my wrist out of her grip as she gaped at me in shock. I saw the pain and vulnerability flash across her features and knew I'd hit a nerve. It shot my bravado all to hell. I sighed.

"Look, Lauren-" I never got out the rest of my apology because her fist swung out, straight for my cheek. The pain was numbed by complete shock as the force of it knocked me sideways. I probably wouldn't have hit the tar if I had better luck with gravity but as it was I slammed my head hard and saw stars. I'm pretty sure Lauren laughed but it was kind of fuzzy.

I sat up a minute or so later to find Lauren gone, her cigarette still burning on the ground next to me. I was kind of dizzy and my cheek hurt where she'd hit me but not as much as where my temple had hit the ground. I lifted a hand up and yes there was blood. I held my breath so the scent wouldn't make me sick as I pushed to my feet.

Surprisingly enough, the tears didn't come.

The drive to La Push was entirely too long for my liking. I held a shirt that I'd found in my truck to the cut so it would stop bleeding. It was Edward's from back when we were dating. It seemed fitting that I should use it on the wound that Lauren had created.

I wanted to see Jacob and sit in the garage where I could be carefree and not have to think about all of this crap. I wanted to smile and laugh and joke about my problems until they didn't seem so heavy anymore. I tried calling his house but there was no answer. He was probably in the garage. I hoped he wouldn't mind me stopping by unannounced.

The rain seemed to be getting heavier and I sighed in annoyance. _Welcome to Forks, home of Noah's Arc_. Sometimes, I severely missed Florida with the sunshine and the heat. Maybe I would visit soon…

I was almost at the Black's house when I saw a large figure with his shoulders hunched against the rain as he trekked through it. Who in their right mind would go for a walk in this weather? I hesitated, as I waged an internal war. I knew it was never a good idea to pick up strangers but this was just so sad and what were the odds he was a serial killer? With my luck, the odds were pretty good. Oh, whatever!

I rolled down the passenger side window as I slowed my truck to a crawl next to the man.

"Hey!" I yelled trying to be heard over the rain. He showed no signs of noticing me. "HEY!" The figure jumped a bit then stopped to look at me. I stopped the truck as well. "Do you need a ride somewhere?"

"Bella Swan?" He asked and my brow knit in confusion. "It's me."

He stepped closer and leaned through the open window.

"Quil!" I shouted happily and grinned at him. "I didn't recognize you at first. Get in, you're soaked!" He hesitated for a moment, glancing at the street round us. That was weird. I stored that in my mind to analyze later because Quil had just climbed in the truck and sent me a megawatt smile.

"So, Bella do you always pick up random men on the side of the road?" Quil teased, raising his eyebrows. I laughed feeling the misery abating already. I glanced at the boy sitting next to me. Wow, he really was good-looking.

"Well how else is a girl supposed to meet guys around here?" I joked and earned a laugh out him. He opened his mouth to retort but noticed my hand holding the shirt to my forehead.

"Ah, you okay? Or are you just trying to make a fashion statement?" Quil asked torn between amusement and concern.

"Yeah, just a little cut. I'm only using the shirt because blood freaks me out."

"Wimp," he teased with a small laugh but he continued to eye the shirt-bandage with apprehension. "How'd that happen?"

"Oh right, you don't really know me yet. Just wait though; you'll see what a klutz I am. I can't walk straight without some sort of disaster." I grimaced slightly, it wasn't a lie but it had also been a way to avoid the truth. I wasn't really up for discussing it. Well, unless it was with Jake…

"Well considering I plan to spend a lot of time with you I guess that's a good thing to know." He sent me a heart-stopping smile before continuing. "But, you also have a nasty bruise on your other cheek which you couldn't have attained in the same fall as the cut. So either you fell on your face twice in the last couple hours or you, Bella, are lying to me."

"Uhg," I complained glaring at him. My cheek did hurt but I didn't think it was bad enough to bruise. Great, now I'd need to explain it to Charlie. "Okay, I lied."

"And not very well, at that." He agreed as I drove.

"Where do you live?" I asked hoping to change the subject but also because it was kind of important seeing as I was taking him home.

"Just past Jacob's. Now stop trying to change the subject." He scolded still teasing but with a bit more of an edge to it. I glanced up at him.

"I may have gotten into a bit of a scuffle." I saw him from the corner of my eye and I could see the telltale twitch of his lips as he tried to contain his mirth. Finally he gave up and burst out laughing.

"You? You got into a catfight?" He was incredulous and seemed almost happy about the idea of it. I scowled at him, trying to look intimidating. "And who says 'scuffle' anymore? When did you turn eighty?"

I laughed. Joking with Quil about my problems was almost as good as joking with Jacob. Almost, but not quite. "Shut up or you're walking the rest of the way."

"Okay, okay but I need just two more questions. Who was she and why'd you fight her?" I grumbled but didn't answer. He poked me in the side to urge me on. I let out a long-winded sigh to let him know I was not happy about this conversation.

"Lauren Malloy, do you know her?" Quil thought for a moment but shook his head.

"Is she hot?" He asked in typical guy fashion.

"Yeah, smokin' hot." I tried to joke but I winced and the words came out choked. Quil shifted to look at me curiously and I tried to hide the fact that I was about to cry. Of course she was beautiful. Edward would have been content with plain old me if she had been plain too.

"You alright?" He asked, no sarcasm or humor in his voice. I nodded and just continued to drive. To my surprise, Quil shifted closer to me and laid a hand on my knee. It wasn't a romantic move or even a gesture of affection it was meant simply as a comfort and surprisingly enough it _was_ comforting.

"So Swan," Quil asked trying to start up the banter but his voice was cautious. "Aren't you gonna answer my second question?"

"The one about why we were fighting?" I didn't let myself think about it. I just shook my head at him. "We weren't fighting. I said something that made her mad so she punched me," I pointed to the bruise, "and I went down." I pulled the shirt away from my face hoping the bleeding had stopped.

"That cut looks painful, kid. I'm sorry for joking about it, I thought it had been a typical girl fight…" I smiled and threw my bloody shirt at him. He made a disgusted noise before tossing it to the side.

"Joking helps," I told him as we passed Jacob's house. The windows were dark. "I hope Jake's home."

"He's not." Quil informed me, leaning back.

"What?"

"He had stuff to take care of in Port Angeles. He won't be back until tonight."

"And you didn't tell me this until now because…?" I asked slightly annoyed and ridiculously disappointed. I wanted to see Jake!

"Then you'd have no reason to drive down here and I really didn't want to walk in this rain. It's that one." Quil pointed to a one-story brown house that was only a short walk from Jake's. I pulled into the driveway, feeling annoyed but amused.

"Ass," I said after I'd parked and I punched him in the arm for good measure. He grabbed his arm and pretended like it hurt.

"Haven't you been in enough fist-fights today?" He asked, reaching for the door. I turned with my retort and got my first good look at his face since he got in the car.

"Wha-?" I got out before pushing across the seat to examine him more closely. His cheek was black and blue but it had been less obvious because of his dark skin. It was swelling slightly around his cheekbone and the underside of his eye. His lip was also slightly fat but it was unnoticeable unless you were inspecting it up close like I was.

"Quil? What the heck? What happened to you?" I was aware that my voice had gotten painfully shrill as I spoke but I didn't care. I ran a hand over the bruise and he winced slightly and pulled my hand away but kept it in his.

"It's okay Bella, yeesh it's nowhere near as bad as yours so calm down." I wasn't feeling very inclined to calm down but I realized that I was inappropriately close to him and making a big deal about it even though I didn't really know him very well. I moved back to an acceptable distance but when I tried to get my hand back, Quil held it firmly in his.

"Well, spill." My voice was calmer, composed. I was proud of myself. "What happened?"

He look wearily at me and cast a longing glance at his house. Clearly, he wished I hadn't noticed anything and he wouldn't have to have this conversation.

"Just a scuffle." He said using my own words against me. I didn't smile. "It's complicated, Bella. Just, forget about it okay?" His words were harsher than they had been before, urging me to drop it. Besides, what business of it was mine? I nodded.

"Thanks for the ride. I'll see you around, okay?" I nodded again and smiled when he ruffled my hair before ducking outside and running for his house. I sat for a moment before putting the truck in gear and heading home to Forks.

I spent the remainder of the rainy day cooking for Charlie and doing my homework. I finished it all too quickly which left me to my thoughts. For once, my mind wasn't occupied with Edward and Lauren, which it should have been considering the day's events. Instead I was plagued with thoughts of the strange behavior both Jacob and Quil had displayed.

It was obvious they were hiding something that apparently they were both in on. They were very vague, always saying they needed to talk about 'something' or they had 'business' in Port Angeles. Why couldn't they just come out and say what they were actually doing?

Jacob was under the impression that he wasn't a good friend for me because he wasn't nice anymore. What was that supposed to _mean_? And why was Quil bruised up and cryptic as to how he got that way? Not to mention the way he had glanced around before getting in my truck as if someone were watching him.

It had to be something bad. Otherwise they would feel no need to hide it and it wouldn't come with the side effects of bodily harm and paranoia. Maybe it was a gang? Or drugs, could they be dealers? Neither possibility seemed very likely. Maybe it was just that I didn't want to believe that of them.

What if I'm completely wrong and I'm just making something out of nothing? I liked that idea. For once maybe I could just be a normal girl with normal friends. I sighed, _like that will ever happen._

Day turned into night and I still hadn't had any earth-shattering revelations about what I was now fondly calling the _La Push Secret_. Either way it kept my mind off of Lauren and Edward and kept the tears at bay. Charlie and I ate in silence, which was normal and comfortable before I excused myself to bed and Charlie collapsed in front of the television.

I laid down in my bed and shut my eyes but sleep evaded me. It was frustrating to say the least. On most nights I barely got enough rest because of the nightmares so I couldn't afford to lose anymore.

_Tap. _

I opened my eyes and glanced around the darkened room for the source of the noise but, seeing nothing, I chalked it up to my imagination. I shut my eyes again.

_Tap. _

Okay, maybe not my imagination. I sat up and wondered what on earth could be making that noise when…

_Tap, tap, tap._

It was coming from my window. My heart kicked into overdrive and I grabbed my shoe off the floor by way of a weapon as I approached what I imaged to be an intruder. I don't know how or why they were at my second story window but I'd worry about that later.

When I got close enough I peered outside but saw nothing except the tree next to my window and the stars. Rationally, I knew that opening my window was not the brightest idea but then again when had I ever thought rationally? I hoisted the window open and held my shoe-weapon up just in case.

"Bella?" I jumped about three feet in the air and nearly screamed before stopping myself. "Bells, it's just me."

"Jacob?" I hissed leaning out the window. He was standing underneath my window with a handful of rocks and an amused expression. Well, that explains that strange noises.

"The one and only. Why are you wielding a shoe?" He sounded so nonchalant, like creeping around outside my window in the middle of the night was nothing out of the ordinary.

"I thought you were a burglar. _Why are you here?_"

"And you were going to defend yourself with a Converse sneaker? Good thinking, Bells. I like it." His sarcasm was not lost on me. I grimaced.

"Smart-ass. Now answer my question." I couldn't really see his expression but I would bet the farm it was filled with humor.

"Why am I here? Is that any way to greet a guest?" I threw my shoe at him and it just barely missed. He jumped back in surprise and I laughed out loud. "Hey! Alright, alright I'm here to see you of course."

"Well maybe if you had kept your plans with me today you would have seen me." I countered not really mad about it but at least slightly annoyed and rightly so.

"Yeah," Jacob rubbed the back of his neck, looking uncomfortable. "Sorry 'bout that. I had stuff to do."

"In Port Angeles, yeah Quil told me. What stuff did you have to do?" I don't know why I bothered asking when I knew he was never going to tell me the answer.

"Just stuff. Anyways, Quil told me some things about his chat with you. Why don't you come down here and we can talk about it." Did Quil seriously tell Jacob about my fight? How dare he? Where did he get off telling Jacob something that he had coerced out of me in the first place? I huffed in annoyance but agreed.

I snuck down the stairs trying my best not to trip and then tiptoed my way past the living room where Charlie was still stationed in front of the TV. I slipped out the back door and collided with Jacob. I fell back a step and his hands grabbed my middle to keep me upright. He was so warm and the feeling of his hands on my waist shot tingles down my body.

"Hey." His voice was quiet and husky as he smiled down at me. I cleared my throat uncomfortably and moved out of his grasp. I grabbed his hand and led him away from the house so that we could talk without Charlie hearing. When we were at the edge of the woods I turned to face him. "What exactly did you want to talk about?"

He opened his mouth to explain but his eye zeroes in on my temple where I had smacked the ground earlier. He reached a hand up to touch it but I flinched away. His eyes narrowed and he caught my chin, turning my face so he could examine my cheek.

"Jeez, Bells, what happened to you?" I was confused. I thought he knew.

"Isn't that what Quil told you? That I got into a fight?" Comprehension dawned on his face. He nodded.

"He said you got into a fight with a girl named Lauren. I had assumed it was a verbal fight and I had heard you say her name yesterday so I figured you'd be upset. I didn't think you would be physically hurt."

I felt my heart turn to mush. He thought I was going to be upset so he came to check on me even though it was the middle of the night. It was a little weird but also extremely sweet. I tossed my arms around his waist and he only hesitated a moment before returning the hug.

"You okay?" He whispered against my hair and I smiled before pulling out of his grasp. I didn't want him to think I was looking for more than friendship.

"I'm fine, Jake. It was completely unnecessary to come check up on me but thank you anyways." I wrapped my arms around my own waist now to ward off the chill. Summer was starting to fade away but at least the downpour from earlier had stopped.

"I also came to apologize for not being there today when I said I would be, especially after you had already been through hell." His dark eyes were boring into mine, begging me to trust him. I wasn't sure if I did. "But I'm here now if you want to talk about it."

"There's nothing to talk about," I lied which I'm not very good at. "Lauren punched me, I went down hard and hit my head. End of story."

"Why did she punch you in the first place?" He spoke quietly, cautiously. He knew this was a touchy subject for me and he was treading carefully.

"No way, Black. I'll tell you my crisis when you tell me what's up with you." I countered, squaring my shoulders in challenge.

"What are you talking about?" His expression closed off, making him look like an entirely different person. Gone was the sweet, sensitive boy who asked about my feelings. Now he actually looked like the person who he tried to convince me he was. Maybe it was cowardly of me but I was too scared to confront him like this so I backed off.

"Nothing, Jake. Forget I said anything, okay?" I put my hands on my temples in an attempt to stop the headache I could feel coming on. I accidentally pressed on my cut and winced at the pain. Jacob's scary mask fell away and he watched me with concern.

"Will you come down to the Rez tomorrow?" His voice was shy and hopeful. _Familiar_. I smiled and nodded.

"If you promise to be there too." I punched him in the arm but I was kidding and he knew it. "Maybe we could shop for parts?"

"Yeah, definitely. I already made a list of all the parts we need so we can drive down to Hoquiam when you get out of school." His enthusiasm was contagious and I found myself looking forward to the next day.

"Sounds like a plan." I agreed and we stayed standing there for a moment not saying anything. Then the wind blew and I shivered. Jacob noticed.

"You should head back in before you get sick," He told me gesturing towards the house. "See you tomorrow."

"Goodnight, Jake."

"Sweet dreams, Bells." I backed towards the house and grabbed the shoe I had thrown earlier then watched Jacob round the corner to the front yard. How did he get here? I knew his rabbit wasn't finished yet and it was too far to walk. Curiosity got the best of me and I crept along behind him. There was a car idling on the curb. The driver was a boy maybe a little older than me, definitely Quileute but other than that I didn't recognize him. Jake got in and they sped off.

_It just keeps getting weirder_. And something was telling me this was only just the beginning.

* * *

Alrighty, so how'd ya like it? Care to share your thoughts? Give me ideas? Tell me my story sucks? You know the drill! ;)

And it's time for a vote! Should Bella keep Jake in "friend" zone like she did in the books for a while? Or should she hurry up and kiss him already?


	3. Highways and lowblows

**AN**- Okay, so the vote on whether or not Bella should keep Jake in "friends" zone was split so that is still open for opinions. Second, I'm making Jake only one year younger than Bella because having him be a freshman was a bit of a stretch.

**Disclaimer**: I am Stephanie Meyers. I own Twilight and all of the characters in it. Oh and I'm also a pathelogical liar.

* * *

The next morning I was exhausted. It wasn't just because Jacob had decided to make a late night visit either. All of my thoughts had been circling around the "La Push Secret", what it could possibly be, and what it had to do with Jacob. Then there was Jacob himself. He was making me happy, which was weird. The two times I had seen him I was able to forget the rest of the world even if it was just for a few hours. I craved that. I craved his company.

I felt something resembling that with his friend Quil too. Maybe it was just the Quileute boys in general, who knows? All I knew was that I liked it and wanted to spend as much time in La Push as possible, secret or no secret.

I drove the beat-up old truck to school feeling light-hearted. No chemistry today. Internally, I was doing a happy dance and if that was cowardly of me than so be it. I could avoid Edward and pretend that he and Lauren just didn't exist. Except for the fact that I had a messed up face, courtesy of Lauren and I would have to field questions about it all day. Jessica would have a fit.

I could lie about it, say I fell or something and nobody would question that. But why should I? It would draw less attention to myself certainly but I was so sick of the lies. For once, I wanted to tell everyone exactly what I thought about another person even if it wasn't so nice. I wanted Lauren to take responsibility for what she did and even if I knew she'd never feel guilt about it I wanted her to see the disgust in her peers' eyes.

I parked in my usual spot and walked in to school keeping my head down and hoping nobody would ask about the bruise and cut until I had decided what to tell them. The truth? Or just another lie?

I took my seat next to Jessica first period French class like always and prepared for twenty-one questions. I was going to rat on Lauren, turn everyone against her the way she deserved and finally get all the hatred out of my system.

"Bella! Okay this Friday is sooo on! We're thinking of partying down at First Bea- oh my God! What happened to your face?" Jessica turned and her face was a mixture of concern and disgust. Typical. My face flamed red.

"I-uhm- well." I stuttered wondering why this was so difficult for me and so easy for all the other girls. "I fell."

"Uhg, Bella, you really need to work on that balance thing, it's getting out of hand. I mean come on; you look like something out of a horror movie. Hello, it's called cover-up!" With that, Jessica rummaged around in her massive purse and pulled out a circular container and popped it open. I leaned back in held my hands up in self-defense.

"No, Jess, really! It's fine, I'm fine!" But Jessica was not to be stopped. She began applying the powdery substance with vigor.

"Don't be ridiculous, it will only take a second." I sat through her ministrations and stewed. Why had I lied? Why had I told her I fell? I already knew the answer though. It was easier this way, less complicated if I just kept it to myself. Who was it hurting if I lied? Nobody.

So who was I to judge Jacob for lying?

Jessica continued to ramble on about how I should wear make up more often and how the party at the beach was going to be "epic" but I couldn't really pay attention. As always, my mind was otherwise occupied.

School was blissfully boring and I managed to avoid my two _favorite_ people so I was in a great mood as I pulled into the Blacks' driveway. Jacob was nowhere to be seen but I heard music blasting from the garage. I smiled to myself in excitement and tried not to dwell on the fact that I as once again depending on another person for my happiness.

I dragged my book bag behind me as I all but ran to the garage. We wouldn't get much time in our "happy place" today though. We were shopping for parts. Despite the fact that I was sad that we wouldn't have our excuse to be completely carefree, I was also excited to get the bikes underway.

I was about to enter the garage when I slammed into something hard and immovable, which sent me falling backwards and landing on my butt with a muffled "oof!" I saw a pair of sneakers in front of me and realized that it was the second time in two days that I had run full force into another human being. I _had_ to stop doing that.

"Whoa there!" A deep voice said from above me. I glanced up…and up and up and up. He, whoever he was, was huge. Even taller than Jake. I opened my mouth to respond then shut it dumbly forgetting whatever it was I was going to say. He chuckled at me than squatted down in front of me so he was closer to my level.

"You alright?" He asked and I nodded dumbly as I took stock of his profile. He was obviously Quileute, with his dark skin and high cheekbones. He was beautiful in the same way as Jacob and Quil but there was something different about him. A hardness that spoke of a tough life that the other boys lacked. His eyes, though currently alight with amusement, had a haunted look to them and his features were sharper, all childhood roundness gone.

"Yeah, fine." I said after an eternity, shaking out of my stupor. "Sorry about that, the running into you I mean." I winced at my rambling and the mystery boy just laughed again. "I'm Bella."

"Paul," he held his hand out and I shook it. He stood up and pulled me to my feet with him. I noted that even from my new vantage point he was still huge. And still grinning at me.

"So ah, is Jake around?" I asked shifting uncomfortably and trying to pretend that I didn't notice his eyes roaming all over me but he wasn't exactly being subtle about it.

"Yeah, he's somewhere around here. So I take it you're the friend he's fixing the bikes up with?" He had finally stopped checking me out and now leaned against the garage wall casually.

"That would be me." I smiled, trying to relax but failing. Something about this boy was off and I couldn't quite place what it was. It was making me anxious.

"I'm surprised, I figured you would be…different."

"Different how?"

"Well," he said with a smirk that assaulted my stomach with butterflies. "I figured you'd be, you know…a dude." He looked pointedly down at my chest, which made me blush bright red and cross my arms trying to obscure his view. His smirk broadened into a grin and I huffed indignantly.

"Yeah, well, I'm not." I retorted stupidly not knowing if I was angry or excited by this inappropriate conversation and just wishing Jacob would show up. Why were his friends always finding me when Jacob was mysteriously occupied? God, this Reservation is _so weird_.

"I noticed."

"Yeah, and I noticed you noticing." I shot back venomously and he roared with laughter. I watched him curiously, fighting my own twitching lips.

"You're quick. What did you say your name was again?"

"Bella," I answered. "Bella Swan."

In an instant, everything about him changed. The smile dropped off his face and the laughter in his eyes died. His casual stance, leaning against the garage, was gone and he was towering rigidly, menacingly in front of me. His eyes were black ice and his jaw was clenched so tight that I knew he was grinding his teeth in anger.

"Swan? As in Chief Swan?" He took a threatening step towards me and I stumbled back, eyes wide.

"Y-yes?" It was more of a question than a response and it certainly wasn't the answer he wanted to hear. I took stock of the situation and decided that if this boy punched me than it would do a lot more damage than Lauren. So in the best interest of my face I figured running was the way to go.

As if reading my mind, Paul reached out and gripped my chin, dragging me closer and leaning down so we were eye to eye. I cringed at the hatred I saw there.

"What the fuck is the Chief's daughter doing on my rez?" He asked, each word tight, like he was trying to stay in control. I was all for that.

"To see Jake." I answered in a weak voice. I wanted to rage and drag my fingernails down his cheek for this but I knew that it was a bad idea. _Where the heck was Jacob?_

"That all?" He asked and squeezed my chin a little tighter until it hurt. I felt anger bubbling up inside me and I shoved at his chest, trying futilely to get free. He noticed and spun us around so he could push me against the garage wall. I whimpered pathetically. _What was going on?_

"Yes, not that it's any of your business." I was proud of the way my voice came out steady and strong. "And for the record, throwing the 'Chief's daughter' against a wall and roughing her up is not the best idea."

A surprised look crossed Paul's face followed by fear that was quickly covered up. He released me and took a step back. We stood facing one another silently for another moment before I brushed by him, deliberately hitting his shoulder with mine. _Ouch_, I thought but didn't show it.

Before I could completely escape though, he caught my arm. I fixed a glare on his dark hand encircling my pale arm and then up to lock on his face. Translation: _get your hands off of me._

"Stay in Forks, sweetheart." His words were dark and obviously meant as a threat. There was an implied _or else_ at the end of the statement. That feeling reared up inside me again that I was just now beginning to recognize as hatred. My lips twisted into a challenging smile.

"Make me."

"Jacob?" I called as I peered into the house. I felt like I was intruding but the door had been open. "Jake?" Billy rolled into view with a confused look on is face that immediately shifted into a bright smile that reminded me of his son.

"Bella!" He called waving me in. "It's good to see you." I entered the house and shut the door behind me. I made my way over to Billy who engulfed my small hands into his larger ones. I smiled back at him with genuine warmth. He reminded me of my childhood.

"It's good to see you too, Billy." I took the chair he gestured to and listened as he chatted on about fishing and Charlie and Harry. I was anxious to see Jake but I didn't want to be rude so I nodded and smiled when it was called for. Eventually Jacob wandered into the kitchen, looking worried.

"Dad, did Bella call? She was supposed to be-" His sentence was cut short when he emerged from the hallway and saw me lounging at his kitchen table making small talk with Billy. Then his face lit up and I felt all my worries evaporate.

"Bella!" He called the same way his father had not long before. He pulled me out of the chair and into a warm hug that I wanted to last longer than it did. I pulled away, reminding myself that I didn't want Jacob to get the wrong idea. Billy gave him a knowing look before wheeling himself away with a mumbled "have fun, kids."

"I was worried you were trying to get me back for ditching you yesterday," Jacob told me as he opened the door and casually took my hand as we walked to my truck. It was nice, comfortable.

"Come on Jake, really? I wouldn't do that." I informed him giving him a serious look and he smiled in response. I loved that smile; it was like the sun peeking through the clouds.

"Right, you want to get the bikes done." His tone was joking but I wondered if there was any insecurity behind that statement. I just laughed and got into the truck for the long drive.

We got onto the highway and Jacob seemed to be more like his old self the farther we got from La Push. He chatted easily, telling me stories about him and his friends that were actually recent but I could tell that they were edited for my sake. I laughed for no reason other than because I wanted to.

"I'm doing all the talking," Jacob complained after a long story of how Quil had caused trouble by asking out a senior's steady girlfriend. "What's going on in Forks? It has to be more interesting than La Push."

"Not," I disagreed. "Besides, I like your friends. I haven't officially met Embry but Quil's funny." Jacob frowned at that and shot me a curious look.

"I think Quil likes you too, a little too much." I blushed of course which made Jacob suspicious but I couldn't help it. I tried to joke it off.

"Yeah well, I'm a little old for him." Jacob's eyes caught mine for a moment before I looked back at the road.

"Not really. I mean it's only a year." I had a feeling we weren't talking about Quil anymore. I really hoped Jake didn't develop a crush on me. It would ruin everything!

"Yeah but factoring in the maturity difference between guys and girls don't we have to count that in dog years? That makes me, what, twelve years older?" I succeeded in making him laugh and restoring the carefree environment.

"Okay but if we're going to get technical than we have to factor in other things too. You're so short I'm going to have to knock two years off your total."

"Five foot four is perfectly average," I sniffed indignantly. "We can't all be freakishly tall."

We argued like that all the way to Hoquiam and by the time we reached the auto shop I was twenty-three and Jacob was thirty. He was definitely weighing skills in his favor. We shopped quickly and I was amazed that Jacob actually knew what he was purchasing and what it was for.

When we got back in the truck there seemed to be a weight that settled on us. There were things we should talk about and questions we wanted to ask but neither knew how to start so it weighed down on us making our banter strained. I glanced at him and let out a long-suffering sigh. Jacob looked at me as he was supposed to and his eyes were already alight with humor.

"Something wrong?" He asked, trying to be serious. "Or do you always sigh so dramatically?"

"You have questions, I have questions. Ask away." I told him, wondering at how I could be so open and direct. It felt good to not speak in riddles for once. I glanced at him and saw that his smile had slid away and he was the_ other_ Jacob now, the one I didn't know.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Of course you don't," I muttered in annoyance but his cold demeanor was starting to intimidate me. "Look, let's start out small. You ask a question that isn't too personal and then I get to ask you one. Then tomorrow we each get one more and if you ever don't want to answer just say pass."

There was a moment of silence that seemed to stretch on forever but eventually he agreed and slumped his shoulders.

"Okay," he said his forehead creasing as he tried to think of a question. "Why did you and your boyfriend break up?" I inhaled sharply feeling the pain sear through my chest.

"Pass," I managed to choke out trying to fight off the pain that had been a part of my life for too long. I heard Jacob shift next to me but I couldn't bring myself to look at him.

"I'm sorry Bella." He said and it was barely a whisper. "I'm so sorry."

"S'okay." I answered still trying to hold myself together. "Just ask another."

"No. I don't like this game. I don't want to be the person to cause _that_ ever again." Jacob's voice was strained but at least he was _my_ Jacob again.

"Just start off slow, Jake. We'll work our way up to the hard stuff eventually." I was determined to make this game work. It was the simplest way I could think of to slowly get him to open up to me. It also appealed to his competitive nature so it was bound to work.

"Fine," he huffed sounding like I had just asked him to do brain surgery. "Why were you upset earlier?"

"What?"

"Earlier when you were sitting with Billy you looked spacey and you were biting your bottom lip. That's how you look when something is bothering you. What was it?"

I stared at Jacob in silent shock. How could he read me so well? I thought about those days before I had been dating Edward when Jacob and I had spent the days talking and laughing. Then the days when I had been in my personal hell and he had sat by me trying to cheer me up. Could he have learned so much about me in those days that seemed so long ago? It seemed unlikely.

Then again, I seemed to know him better than I knew myself. I knew what almost every expression on his face meant and the way sometimes his words had double meanings. I could differentiate every tone of voice he used. So was it a stretch that he could do the same with me? Suddenly I felt very vulnerable, like I was naked. It was an unsettling thought that a person could read you like an open book.

"So…?" Jacob prompted and I realized I had been staring at him without answering the question. "Why were you upset?"

"Because I had just been accosted outside of your garage." I blurted out without really thinking it through. Oh well, this was a game of truth right?

"You _what_?" Jacob's voice had taken on a scary edge.

"I had been cornered by your friend Paul. He doesn't like me very much and he made it clear when he shoved me against the wall and threatened me." I felt the anger and hatred build again and tried to shove it back down.

"Paul? He…? _What_?" Jacob was torn between fury and confusion and when I glanced at his face the sight made me laugh. Jacob gave me a look that told me he didn't see the humor. "Explain."

"Alright, alright. So basically I ran into him, literally, when I was headed to the garage thinking you were in there. He was being very flirtatious and inappropriate but it was all in good humor at first." Jake made an annoyed sound but I pushed on. "Then he asked me my name and I told him it was Bella Swan."

"Oh." Comprehension dawned on his face after a moment. "He was mad because Charlie is your dad." I nodded feeling uneasy. If he understood why Paul was mad than that means that Paul must be part of the craziness that Quil and Jake are caught up in. "I'm going to kill him."

He said it with so much emotion that I whipped my head around to look at him. Jake's hand were clenched into fists. His features were dark and cold in an unfamiliar way. Automatically, I reached out a hand and laid it on his arm trying to soothe him. He relaxed immediately under my touch.

"That's probably not such a good idea."

"Why?" There was still a slight edge to his voice.

"Then Charlie would have to arrest you and he thinks of you like the son he never had." That got a laugh out of him and I shot him a smile.

"Yeah, okay. For Charlie's sake we'll let him live."

"Thanks." I replied sarcastically. "By the way, it's my turn to ask a question."

"Alright, but remember that you're the one who said to start out small."

"Right, okay hmmm," Now that I was finally allowed to ask one of the questions that had been haunting me I was at a loss on how to start. I didn't want to start too big and scare him off but I also _really_ wanted answers. "Why doesn't Paul like the fact that Charlie is my dad?"

"Because Paul has had a tough life and he associates cops with trouble. He's kind of a shady guy so he wouldn't like the idea of the police being onto him about anything." Jacob's answer made sense and I should have just accepted it but it wasn't adding up for me.

"That's it? There's no other reason?" I had tried to be subtle but the look Jake shot me in my peripheral vision told me I had failed.

"Not exactly."

"Well then you cheated. You can't half answer a question and leave out something you don't want me to know."

"It's better that way; safer."

"Safer?" I practically yelled the word at him. "Safer for who?"

"For both of us."

"That's bullshit, Jake. Answer the question."

"Okay, calm down Bella. He wouldn't like that you're related to the Chief of police because you've been spending a lot of time with me. He thinks you'll find out about things that we don't want people finding out about."

I opened my mouth to question further but Jacob cut me off.

"No, Bella that's all I'm saying. I've already told you too much." I was burning with unsatisfied curiosity but I knew when to admit defeat. Besides, he had said more than I thought he would. It was progress.

"For now," I acquiesced then changed the subject. "Hey so there's going to be a party at First Beach this Friday with all the Forks kids. Maybe you could come too? Bring some friends!"

"A party at First Beach?" Jacob didn't sound thrilled about this. "Um, yeah okay. Sounds fun."

"Why did that sound like, 'I would rather rip my eyelashes out'? You don't have to come if you don't want to you know." I couldn't help but feel stung that he didn't want to go to the party with me. Not that I had meant it as a date or anything but the rejection was still there.

"No, Bells, it's not that." Jake seemed to brighten when he saw that I was disappointed that he wouldn't be there. Great. "It's just that La Push isn't exactly the safest place to party right now…"

"Um, okay? Are you going to explain that or let it hang in the air ominously?"

"Forget I said anything." _Of course._ "I'll be there, I promise."

I wanted to argue further but we had pulled back up to Jake's house and we snuck all of the parts into his garage hoping Billy wouldn't see. Then we were in our getaway and I was required to be carefree. I put the questions and suspicions on the back burner for another time on another day.

We worked on the bikes for a couple of hours that passed too quickly. Correction: Jake worked on the bikes and I watched and occasionally passed him tools, though usually the wrong ones. It was amazing to watch him work. To see him take small parts of a whole and piece them together. His huge hands were surprisingly graceful and it was like watching an artist. He was putting the bike back together again piece by piece. Slowly. Carefully.

I couldn't help but think that he was doing the same thing to me.

* * *

What'd you think of Paul? And Bella showed some spine in this one. Don't worry she won't always be such a wuss!

So keep voting of the "friends zone" thing and also if you have an idea that you want to see happen at the First Beach party then do tell. ;)


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